Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of access tunnels down to the facility... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to stamp out any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces conducted what it called a "major assault" targeting IS targets in Syria, after an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
